What might have ended up being a turgid, smarmy film instead unfolds to be a beautiful flower. From the opening shots of family photos floating on the breeze to the final resonant note, this film continues to surprise. Meryl Streep makes an impressive appearance both emotionally and physically, looking years younger than she has in, well, years. Her character, based on Roberta Guaspari, is one that faces the odds no matter how daunting and manages to find a bit of sunshine through the murk, no matter how dim it may be.
Craven captures the gritty feel of East Harlem, one of the toughest neighborhoods you may possibly ever come across. Drive by shootings, muggings and death are a way of life the kids are so accustomed to that they barely blink their eyes when these activities go on around them daily. A well crafted script by Pamela Gray based on the 1996 Academy Award winning documentary "Small Wonders," bring us into Roberta’s life after a bitter breakup of her marriage. Avoiding obstacle after obstacle she somehow manages to grab hold of the reins of her life and take control. Through it all, her two sons, adorably played as little kids by Michael Angarano and Henry Dinhoffer, then fantastically portrayed as teens by Charlie Hofheimer and Kieran Culkin, struggle with their slightly obsessed mother and inner city surroundings. All four child actors do a wonderful job, capturing with subtlety and humor the trials and tribulations that come with living in any household of divorce, no less that of one with a driven, distracted woman at the helm.
Gloria Estefan has a small role as a fellow teacher, which she handles capably, but it seems her appearance here exists only so the producers could get her to sing the closing song. The children cast as Roberta’s pupils are one of the standout features of Music Of The Heart. They give all stellar performances, with Justin Spaulding and Zoe Sternbach-Taubman managing to steal our hearts away. Angela Basset plays the school principal, an abrupt, yet caring administrator who is desparately trying to hold on to Roberta’s program through major difficulties, though with a bit too much coldness in certain scenes. This creates some of the only awkward moments in this film, leaving one wishing she didn’t portray the flip-flop of her character’s moods so harshly, though it is supposed to come as a big surprise when she...oh, well, we won’t ruin it for you.
\With panache that virtually nobody in Hollywood would have ever imagined, Wes Craven has made the switch from Master of Horror to Master of Our Hearts. A beautifully photographed film, with style and conviction that makes you want to go out and take over your local school system, Music Of The Heart is a movie that should be force-fed to every school board around the country immediately. As Craven and his loving film stress, the cutting of music and arts program funding in American schools is a travesty that needs to be dealt with quickly. If the youth of America is destined to become anything more than gangstas and thugs, education and the arts must become priority number one. When colleges are sending scouts to scour our high schools for musicians and actors, as well as offering lucrative deals to football players, maybe this country will be on the right track again. Go see this film and then go make some music of your own by singing its praise.
Directed by Wes Craven
Miramax Films
reviewed by j bloomrosen
